Shannon O’Brien, the chairwoman of the Montana Democratic Party, announced her resignation on Monday as she simultaneously endorsed an independent candidate over her party’s nominee in the state’s Senate race.
O’Brien made the announcement in an MS Now op-ed, telling readers she could not back Montana Democrat Alani Bankhead because she “does not have the momentum, resources or will to win this race.” Instead, O’Brien prefers Montana independent Seth Bodnar to take on Republican nominee Kurt Alme in November.
The former chairwoman said Alme will be a “puppet” for President Donald Trump in the Senate and join Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) in being another “automatic yes-man” for the Republican administration. While Bankhead won’t be kowtowing to Trump, O’Brien believes the Democratic candidate has a low chance of beating Alme.
“I’m a person with a positive outlook. I’m uncomfortable being negative about anyone, especially a Democratic nominee,” O’Brien wrote. “But sometimes it’s impossible to stay quiet; sometimes you have to make people uncomfortable for the greater good. The winner of this race will almost certainly vote on a nominee to the Supreme Court. And there are real questions about Democrat Alani Bankhead’s commitment to protecting a woman’s right to choose, her support of working people and her views of people living in poverty.”
Beyond criticizing Bankhead’s views, O’Brien also slammed her for “mudslinging at Bodnar, a decent human being,” rather than keeping her attention focused on the Trump-backed Republican.
“In the months Bankhead has been the nominee and I’ve been chair of the party, she has not sought a conversation around shared values and has refused advice from experienced business and political leaders around the state,” O’Brien said. “For someone almost brand new to Montana, her refusal to listen and learn is puzzling and jarring. Montanans are suffocating due to an affordability crisis, rising fuel prices and an inexplicable war. I want representation by people willing to listen, not those who dig in their heels and cover their ears.”
Meanwhile, O’Brien noted, Bodnar is “someone who listens” and “is kind, hardworking and bright.” As a result, she is confident that Bodnar is what Montana needs.
“My job has always been to advance the values Democrats in this state care about,” the former chairwoman continued, “and right now, the clearest path to doing that runs through an independent candidate.”
Bodnar welcomed O’Brien’s endorsement, saying he’s “deeply grateful” for her courage and her service to Montana.
“Montanans of every political stripe are coming together in this race because they know what’s at stake,” he posted on X, “and they’re ready to send an Independent senator to Washington who answers only to them.”
Bankhead also responded to the news, claiming O’Brien has “been working against” her for several months.
“This summer she got a legal opinion, without a vote of her own board, on whether the party could refuse to replace me if I quit, and her own board members wanted her performance reviewed for it,” Bankhead said. “Now she’s using her exit to campaign for a man who never ran in our primary. Montana Democrats chose their nominee, and Montanans are voting right now.”
Bankhead made headlines in August when she refused to drop out of the three-way race to make room for Bodnar. Alme will still likely win based on the latest polling, but the margin could have been closer if Bankhead exited the race.
Bodnar, who has been endorsed by former Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and other Democrats, trailed 8 points behind Alme in a Montana Free Press-Rutgers Eagleton poll released last month, whereas Bankhead was 22 points behind Alme.